Jump past the break for Grandpa Aaron's take on each game, and don't forget to tell your Aunt Suzy to bring Nana's twice-baked potato recipe to the next family reunion.
Grandpa Aaron loves Bioshock, can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving
by Jordan Mallory 
on Nov 5th 2011 8:30PM
75
Jump past the break for Grandpa Aaron's take on each game, and don't forget to tell your Aunt Suzy to bring Nana's twice-baked potato recipe to the next family reunion.
Reader Comments (75)
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:36PM Dionkey said
I am almost choking up right now. I wish I had a Grandpa like this ;_;
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:28PM Puertoricarious said
@Dionkey
You probably do, just send him Bioshock!
Reply
You probably do, just send him Bioshock!
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 10:47PM Puertoricarious said
@Dionkey
Aw, sorry man. I'm sure if he'd had the opportunity, there would've been plenty of little sisters at his bedside.
Reply
Aw, sorry man. I'm sure if he'd had the opportunity, there would've been plenty of little sisters at his bedside.
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 8:59PM ItsmetheBman said
@Dionkey
It's nice, but hard to believe it's real.
Reply
It's nice, but hard to believe it's real.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:38PM latin trident said
Please!
Everybody knows that the best game to get for grandparents is Amnesia!
Everybody knows that the best game to get for grandparents is Amnesia!
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:43PM Marshillboy said
@latin trident
If you want to kill them with a heart attack. Only to be used on old rich relatives whom you don't care for.
Reply
If you want to kill them with a heart attack. Only to be used on old rich relatives whom you don't care for.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:00PM Morisato13 said
@latin trident
Nah... give your wheelchair-bound g'pa a kinect and dance central.
Reply
Nah... give your wheelchair-bound g'pa a kinect and dance central.
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 1:59AM TheRepublic said
@Marshillboy
I don't know if you have played Uncharted 3 yet, but I am in my 20s and feel like I am going to have a heart attack every time I play the game!
Reply
I don't know if you have played Uncharted 3 yet, but I am in my 20s and feel like I am going to have a heart attack every time I play the game!
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:39PM Farseye said
I can't wait to see how the video game industry comes along when I'm 80 years old, and I can't wait for my future grand kids to get me some ridiculously amazing game for my birthday.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:41PM femur said
What a great story. We should all have g'pas like this.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:42PM Head Like A Fking Orange said
Aww that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:43PM MrAlex said
I wish there was more on the news about the positives of gaming like this.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:47PM Hank Hill said
Just a warning that those of you who haven't played bioshock for whatever reason might want to avoid reading this article, it contains some major spoilers.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:53PM (Unverified) said
@Hank Hill Dude, it's been 4 years. If BioShock hasn't been spoiled for you yet, you aren't reading Joystiq.
Reply
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:50PM RockSauron said
@(Unverified)
I'm still upset I spoiled the twist before I played the game (I'm a PS3er, so spoiled myself when it wasn't on PS3.) Kinda feels like I missed out. Ah well. But ya, it is kinda late to be upset about spoilers. I mean, what, should we keep the fact that Sheik is Zelda or that aeris is killed at the end of disc one secret? :p
Reply
I'm still upset I spoiled the twist before I played the game (I'm a PS3er, so spoiled myself when it wasn't on PS3.) Kinda feels like I missed out. Ah well. But ya, it is kinda late to be upset about spoilers. I mean, what, should we keep the fact that Sheik is Zelda or that aeris is killed at the end of disc one secret? :p
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:48PM Rehykja said
Classy cool grandpa is classy and cool. He probably kill some people back in WWII, so Andrew Ryan ain't nothing.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:50PM TehPeanut said
I want to believe this is genuine, but years of being on the Internet has taught me that almost everything is a lie.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:31PM Puertoricarious said
@TehPeanut
For me, it's the "G'ma" that kills it. That and the fact that entire email was about video games. If it was part of it, that I could believe, but the whole thing?
Reply
For me, it's the "G'ma" that kills it. That and the fact that entire email was about video games. If it was part of it, that I could believe, but the whole thing?
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 11:30PM Special Agent Steve said
@TehPeanut
Eh, I thought I'd show you one of Jungleradio's comments. Makes this seem a little more believable:
"I'm not too surprised to hear that he beat a game...he's always had a decent understanding of controllers (he played the original Super Mario Bros and Zelda along side me). I'm considering getting him Skyrim, but I feel that the open world will be too overwhelming for him."
Reply
Eh, I thought I'd show you one of Jungleradio's comments. Makes this seem a little more believable:
"I'm not too surprised to hear that he beat a game...he's always had a decent understanding of controllers (he played the original Super Mario Bros and Zelda along side me). I'm considering getting him Skyrim, but I feel that the open world will be too overwhelming for him."
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 1:10AM Courtney said
@TehPeanut
It's certainly plausible though. My best friend routinely plays RTS and Dota games with is semi-retired 65-year-old father online. My wife's father (about 70) will give racing and music games a serious try with his granddaughter. It's not that far out there anymore for someone of that generation to be a regular gamer, especially when hey have someone younger than them to connect with on the subject.
Reply
It's certainly plausible though. My best friend routinely plays RTS and Dota games with is semi-retired 65-year-old father online. My wife's father (about 70) will give racing and music games a serious try with his granddaughter. It's not that far out there anymore for someone of that generation to be a regular gamer, especially when hey have someone younger than them to connect with on the subject.
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 3:01PM JuntMonkey said
@Puertoricarious I don't see a grandpa using the term "beat" in this context, repeatedly. Also how does one buy Braid and SotN as gifts for somebody in this day and age? He bought them as "gifts" over PSN?
Reply
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 8:52PM (Unverified) said
My biggest fear in life is that once I'm an old man my hands will be too withered to use a mouse and keyboard or hold a controller.
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 1:11AM Gandkaidos said
@(Unverified)
Dont worry, youll have the kinect!
bahahaha
Reply
Dont worry, youll have the kinect!
bahahaha
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:02PM DasMadHatter said
What a great letter... makes me want to predict some things for when I am that age... lets say, 40 years from now;
**Lucasarts will close its doors after decades of star-wars based shovel-ware games... no code for the next Jedi Academy or Star Wars flight simulator was recovered. The internet mourns.
**Electronic Arts will admits that Origins is a mistake; the universe implodes on itself the following week.
**Half Life 2: Episode 3 is released.
**Lucasarts will close its doors after decades of star-wars based shovel-ware games... no code for the next Jedi Academy or Star Wars flight simulator was recovered. The internet mourns.
**Electronic Arts will admits that Origins is a mistake; the universe implodes on itself the following week.
**Half Life 2: Episode 3 is released.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 10:48PM (Unverified) said
@DasMadHatter
"**Half Life 2: Episode 3 is released."
you don't believe that yourself
Reply
"**Half Life 2: Episode 3 is released."
you don't believe that yourself
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 12:29PM Liquidfingers said
@(Unverified)
yeah...i would LOVE to believe that myself, but all hope of Episode 3 ever coming out has pretty much been beaten out of me by years of Valve ignoring the topic. i think it's safe to say that they're just going to do Half-Life 3 instead of Episode 3.
Reply
yeah...i would LOVE to believe that myself, but all hope of Episode 3 ever coming out has pretty much been beaten out of me by years of Valve ignoring the topic. i think it's safe to say that they're just going to do Half-Life 3 instead of Episode 3.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:06PM pally321 said
Coolest. Grandpa. Ever.
Seriously, I bet he fought Hitler with his bare fists in WWII, then gave one look at wolfenstein and laughed.
Seriously, I bet he fought Hitler with his bare fists in WWII, then gave one look at wolfenstein and laughed.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:09PM DarkTwisted said
As heartwarming as this seems, I can't shake the feeling this is completely fake.
Posted: Nov 6th 2011 10:08AM SoldierShredder said
@DarkTwisted
Yeah...I'm sure there are many old people out there, who are open-minded for video games. But this letter...I don't know. If it's true, then this is just epic. But I doubt that somehow.
Reply
Yeah...I'm sure there are many old people out there, who are open-minded for video games. But this letter...I don't know. If it's true, then this is just epic. But I doubt that somehow.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:28PM Apakal said
These are the people game developers should be doing their R&D with.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:32PM Puertoricarious said
How hilarious would it be if Grandpa Aaron didn't go to Thanksgiving because he didn't want to leave his Xbox?
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:38PM greengiant912 said
My grandpa always thought I was wasting my life with video games... Sigh... I tried to get him interested, with the Wii and he played bowling on that and loved it, but besides that he didn't see the point...
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:53PM Apakal said
@greengiant912
Well, in all honesty, how interesting can a video game be for a person who spent their youth in hot rods and pool halls, smoking cigarettes, eating at drive-ins, and chasing women, spent their working life making the country with their bare hands, all the while seeing multiple wars, the births and deaths of nations, the face of the world revolutionized over and over again at home and abroad, etc. etc. etc.
I hope when I'm 80, even the most outrageous video games pale in comparison to the life I've lived.
Reply
Well, in all honesty, how interesting can a video game be for a person who spent their youth in hot rods and pool halls, smoking cigarettes, eating at drive-ins, and chasing women, spent their working life making the country with their bare hands, all the while seeing multiple wars, the births and deaths of nations, the face of the world revolutionized over and over again at home and abroad, etc. etc. etc.
I hope when I'm 80, even the most outrageous video games pale in comparison to the life I've lived.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:54PM MrAlex said
@greengiant912
If people aren't interested you won't be able to get them into games. But if you want to explain to someone why they aren't a waste of time (well technically they are but so are lots of things when you get technical) just explain it's a form of entertainment and that you enjoy them the same way you enjoy films, music, etc.
Reply
If people aren't interested you won't be able to get them into games. But if you want to explain to someone why they aren't a waste of time (well technically they are but so are lots of things when you get technical) just explain it's a form of entertainment and that you enjoy them the same way you enjoy films, music, etc.
Posted: Nov 7th 2011 10:33AM mattmilone said
@Apakal Well that's a nice way to view all men who grew up in the 40's and 50's.
How about getting beat by father after a few too many at the pub, nuns reminding that your mother's depression and your father's hair color equate to you being the anti-christ, playing stick ball for six hours a day instead of trying to learn shit, dropping out of highschool to work with your pederast Uncle Bill installing dy wall, knocking up a girl in the back of Uncle Bill's Chevy, pretending to love said girl and marrying her so her parents don't send her to "the clinic," spending all non-dry-wall time drinking away your twenties and telling your wife to make you a sandwich, missing your child's birth because of double-header baseball at the ole ballpark, belting your wife's cheek when she asks if she can go to work like all her friends, belting your kids cheek when he asks anything, drinking while driving, drinking while working, drinking while getting a physical, creepily staring at girls your child goes to school with, always reminding people that your old, always reminding people received a degree from "the school of hard-knocks," always reminding people you were good baseball until "I had to stop for the wife," chain smoking while child does homework, chain smoking while your wife gives birth to another child, chain smoking while an 19 year-old homeless girl blows you for $12 outside a deli, forgetting your children's birthdays, forgetting your wife exists, still putting up dry wall at the age of 50, demanding roast beef for dinner every single night, ranting about "the darkies" lowering your home's property value, ranting about anything, spending all your money at the beer distributer, constantly telling your children that college is overrated, shitting in your pants, watching sports with the volume too loud, not remembering anyone's name, sending back anything anyone orders you at a restaurant, burdening your grandchildren with stories that aren't even true, getting lost easily, claiming music died with Buddy Holly, claiming anything, doing that thing cat's do to clear a hairball, not dying.
As you can see, some grand-parents are different than others.
Reply
How about getting beat by father after a few too many at the pub, nuns reminding that your mother's depression and your father's hair color equate to you being the anti-christ, playing stick ball for six hours a day instead of trying to learn shit, dropping out of highschool to work with your pederast Uncle Bill installing dy wall, knocking up a girl in the back of Uncle Bill's Chevy, pretending to love said girl and marrying her so her parents don't send her to "the clinic," spending all non-dry-wall time drinking away your twenties and telling your wife to make you a sandwich, missing your child's birth because of double-header baseball at the ole ballpark, belting your wife's cheek when she asks if she can go to work like all her friends, belting your kids cheek when he asks anything, drinking while driving, drinking while working, drinking while getting a physical, creepily staring at girls your child goes to school with, always reminding people that your old, always reminding people received a degree from "the school of hard-knocks," always reminding people you were good baseball until "I had to stop for the wife," chain smoking while child does homework, chain smoking while your wife gives birth to another child, chain smoking while an 19 year-old homeless girl blows you for $12 outside a deli, forgetting your children's birthdays, forgetting your wife exists, still putting up dry wall at the age of 50, demanding roast beef for dinner every single night, ranting about "the darkies" lowering your home's property value, ranting about anything, spending all your money at the beer distributer, constantly telling your children that college is overrated, shitting in your pants, watching sports with the volume too loud, not remembering anyone's name, sending back anything anyone orders you at a restaurant, burdening your grandchildren with stories that aren't even true, getting lost easily, claiming music died with Buddy Holly, claiming anything, doing that thing cat's do to clear a hairball, not dying.
As you can see, some grand-parents are different than others.
Posted: Nov 5th 2011 9:40PM Huma said
Real or not, the idea of an 80-year-old man tearing up while seeing the deathbed ending scene in Bioshock is a bit sad. :(
